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Food for life, love and hope: an exemplar of the philosophy of palliative care in action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2007

Katherine Hopkins
Katherine Hopkins*
Affiliation:
The Palliative Care Team, The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Pond Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2QG, UK
*
Corresponding author: Katherine Hopkins, fax +44 20 7830 2045, [email protected]
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Abstract

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The World Health Organization's (1990) definition of palliative care describes an holistic approach to care for patients with advanced progressive illness. Issues relating to nutrition, lack of appetite and the subsequent weight loss the individuals may experience present a challenge to all concerned with providing both formal and informal care to this patient group. The philosophy of palliative care requires a multidisciplinary approach to the constellation of issues and problems related to food that are faced by both patients and carers in receipt of palliative care. The literature in this area is mainly related to those patients with a cancer diagnosis. The developing role of palliative care in patients with non-malignant disease provides further challenges for health care professionals. The present paper aims to reflect an entire philosophical approach to care through an examination of one area of practice.

Keywords

Palliative carePhilosophy of palliative careNutritional support
Type
BAPEN Symposium 2: Nutrition in palliative care
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 63 , Issue 3 , August 2004 , pp. 427 - 429
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2004

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